The Head of Brand and Marketing at Stanbic Bank, Chidinma Braye-Yankee, has said efficient cross-border payment systems have become critical to helping Ghanaian businesses reduce transaction costs, expand into new markets and compete more effectively in regional and global trade.
Speaking ahead of the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, she said delays, high transaction costs, multiple intermediaries, foreign exchange challenges and limited payment transparency had continued to create difficulties for businesses involved in international trade.
“Efficient cross-border payments are no longer simply a banking issue. They are a trade and economic growth imperative because when money moves efficiently, businesses are able to trade more competitively,” Mrs Braye-Yankee said.
The quarterly breakfast meeting will bring together regulators, financial institutions, traders and business leaders to discuss ways of making cross-border payments easier and more efficient.
Stanbic Bank Ghana’s Head of Brand and Marketing said the theme for the meeting, “Moving Money. Moving Trade. Moving Ghana. – Making It Easier to Buy, Sell and Pay Across Borders” had been chosen to highlight the link between the movement of money, trade expansion and economic growth.
The panellists for this quarterly meeting are the Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Stanbic Bank Ghana, Mush Abdallah; the Sustainability Manager, Miniplast LTD, Dr Paa Kwesi Eduaful Abaidoo, and the Sales Director, Business to Business West Africa, Kasapreko PLC, Dr Nana Kwesi Amoako.
Mrs Braye-Yankee said businesses had increasingly required faster, cheaper and more reliable ways to make and receive payments, particularly as Ghanaian companies had expanded their trading relationships across Africa, China and other international markets.
Payment costs
The Head of Marketing and Brands said modern payment infrastructure had the potential to reduce the cost of doing business, improve transaction speeds and create new opportunities for importers, exporters, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations.
Mrs Braye-Yankee said the meeting had, therefore, provided an opportunity for regulators, financial institutions, traders and business leaders to examine practical ways of improving the movement of money across borders.
She said platforms such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) and Stanbic Bank’s capability under the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) had formed part of the infrastructure supporting international payments.
She said particular attention had been placed on opportunities available to Ghanaian businesses trading with China, other African markets and the rest of the world, while also considering policy and regulatory measures needed to support a more efficient payment ecosystem.
“The conversation is about making it easier for businesses to buy, sell and pay across borders and using payment infrastructure as a strategic tool for trade and investment,” she said.
Digital security
Mrs Braye-Yankee said the benefits of faster and more accessible digital payments also needed to be supported by stronger security measures, particularly as businesses had increasingly relied on digital channels to conduct transactions.
She added that payment systems needed to provide businesses with efficiency while maintaining the trust and security required for digital transactions.
“Businesses need payment systems that are not only fast and efficient but also secure and trusted. That is essential if digital payments are to support sustained growth in trade,” she said.
Background
In June 2026, panellists at the meeting stressed that public vigilance and awareness had remained key tools in the fight against digital fraud in Ghana.
They said that while financial institutions and other organisations had continued to invest in technology and security systems, fraudsters had increasingly exploited human vulnerabilities to perpetrate digital crimes.
The focus on digital payments follows discussions at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting in February 2026, where attention was placed on the security of digital financial transactions and the need to strengthen public confidence in the digital payment ecosystem.
